#Beni imo kit Kat

[weedle-testaburger]

filipinos were so based to find a kind of sweet potato and decide to use it for sweet desserts instead of just trying to make fries with it

[rachelgoestoyokohama]

One of my favorite things about visiting Japan: limited edition specially flavored Kit Kats

[pearwaldorf]

Somebody brought in Japanese Kit-Kats and so of course, I had to sample them. I regret to inform you most of them were not good.

Adzuki bean: Yup. They taste like red bean paste, so intensely it reminds me of my childhood. Combined with the chocolate though, I’m not sure it’s necessarily a great combination.

Rum raisin: Looks like white chocolate, does not smell like it. They taste weird. My coworker liked them. Maybe it depends on your existing fondness for rum raisin flavor?

Kyoho grape: Smells exactly like grape bubblegum. The cognitive dissonance between that and the mouth-feel of the chocolate is mighty. The flavor is fairly muted compared to the smell. It fake grape.

Hokkaido melon and mascarpone cheese: Smells like cantaloupe. There’s melon flavor. I don’t know what the mascarpone is supposed to add, maybe a modulating influence on the melon? This was pretty all right, in that I actually ate the whole package as opposed to half. But it is not something I would seek out.

[edit: I missed one!] Beni imo (purple sweet potato): This one’s actually pretty good! idk what an actual imo tastes like but it has a nice earthy sweetness that pairs well with the chocolate. If you see this somewhere pick it up.

If you’re going to get Japanese Kit-Kats, I would recommend the more easily available flavors of dark chocolate and matcha green tea (I have found them at 99 Ranch and Uwajimaya. Check your local Asian grocery store first before trying online, they will be much cheaper). They are much better and way less weird.

[twilight-musume]

Tsubaki Factory as Japanese Kit Kats 1/2 (Credits for the theme goes to @JKandaPopBana)

❈ Riko Yamagishi - Muscat of Alexandria ❈ Risa Ogata - Cantaloupe ❈ Kisora Niinuma - Ramune ❈ Ami Tanimoto - Beni Imo ❈ Yumeno Kishimoto - Passionfruit

[japangabby]

Japanese Snacks

There is a wide variety of cool snacks available in Japan which are very unique and exciting compared to the kind of novelty food available in other countries. A huge part of Japanese food is the appearance- a lot it has a ‘cute’ theme and could resemble an animal or mascot, or even a miniature burger - it is also usually very brightly coloured and sugary. A lot of their food is unaturally coloured (for example pink or green) and offers a huge range of flavours which you wouldn’t normally expect.

One of the coolest brands is the extensive KitKat range, which is vastly different from its European counterpart. 

These Kitkats are brightly packaged, colourful and have a range of different flavours. While some of them sound really good, others are very unexpected for the chocolate bar- some of them include:

Hot Chilli

Matcha

Baked Potato 

Vanilla Ice Cream

Rilakkuma Hot Cake Kitkat

Apple Vinegar

There have been more than 300 limited-edition seasonal and regional flavours of Kit Kats produced in Japan since 2000.

Some varieties are restricted to a specific region associated with that particular bar. Others are limited-run varieties, with excess supply saved for year-end "happy bag" specials. In 2015, 500 single-finger bitter chocolate bars were sold with gold leaf wrapping for about $16 in high-end retail shops.

Notable varieties include adzuki (red bean), beni imo (purple sweet potato), brown sugar syrup, matcha (green tea), and soy sauce.

The cafe shop Pronto has introduced croissants incorporating Kit Kats. Pizza chains Napoli no Kama and Strawberry Cones introduced dessert pizzas with bakeable Kit Kat toppings in March 2014.

In October 2018, Nestle opened a Kit Kat store at Namba Station, in the Chuo ward of Osaka, on Japan's Honshu island.

Another hugely popular Japanese snack range is Pocky, which is a chocolate dipped biscuit stick. However, they have also added a range of other exclusive flavours, all packaged in brightly coloured and aesthetic packaging - such as these:

Almond Crush Pocky - which is the biscuit stick covered in chocolate with little almond pieces inside, making it crunchy. 

Sweet Milk Cream

Crystal Salt

Canteloupe

Blueberry

Mango

Matcha 

Coconut

These flavours are more conventional (seeing as it’s a sweet dessert) but still unusual and interesting! This makes me inspired to create dessert inspired mascot characters for a game. 

[linkalearnsjapanese]

There are region specific Kit-Kats all over Japan, and they have flavors that relate to whatever the famous local product is. Today, Husband and I will be sampling 4 regional flavors that we’ve picked up on our travels.

Mt. Fuji – Strawberry Cheese Cake

Husband says smells like strawberry cheese cake. I say smell like strawberry with something? Does cheese cake have a smell? Idk.

We can’t figure out why Mt. Fuji would be represented in a strawberry cheese cake flavor.

Honestly I just think it tastes like a regular strawberry flavor. Which ain’t bad.

This box can be found in major gift shops around Japan, so it’s not exactly regional. But we bought ours at the base of Mt. Fuji so that has to count for something.

Yamanashi – Shingen Kikyo Mochi

This flavor was developed in honor of Yamanashi’s famous Shingen Kikyo mochi, and their factory. The pattern on the wrapper is the bellflower, or kikyo, that’s the symbol of the company. The flavor is kinako and kuromitsu, distinctive parts of the mochi packages made at the factory.

Husband says smells like butterscotch? Or a Christmas candle? Or hot coffee? He’s coming up with a bunch of random things here. Idfk what he’s talking about it smells like kinako. Because the mochi is coated in kinako. Ya know.

Husband says it has a coffee flavor, but I, with my refined palate have identified the flavor as the kuromitsu that comes with Shingen Kikyo mochi packs.

Okinawa – Beni imo

Beni imo is a purple sweet potato, also known as the Okinawan yam.

No smell at all

Very solid beni imo flavor. Nicely sweet but not insanely so.

Husband says: “yep, that’s beni imo”

Shizuoka – Wasabi

Husband says the smell of wasabi is strong enough to “clear out the sinuses.” I smell nothing and think he’s making this up.

I don’t like. No thank you.

You can certainly taste the wasabi flavor. It’s still a bit sweet, but the wasabi is definitely present.

  Regional Kit-Kats: Mt. Fuji, Yamanashi, Okinawa, and Shizuoka There are region specific Kit-Kats all over Japan, and they have flavors that relate to whatever the famous local product is.